Brand Identity

 How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Are your clients exactly who you want to be dealing with OR do you have a number who are not ideal? They reflect the Brand Identity you currently have.
• Are your business values clear to you, to staff and to your clients?
• Is your position in the market clearly differentiated from your competitors?
• When you look around your business, is there a consistency in your presentation that sums up why you are in business?

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Make sure you are crystal clear on your Brand and how you represent this throughout your business
• Be very clear on who your ideal clients are and how your business aligns with them at different levels. Make sure this guides you in developing your business voice and visual presence.
• Develop and document your Style Guide and Communication Guide for use across ALL points of contact with your business, including but not limited to personal presentation, phone, emails, office, website and social media.
• Use your Style Guide and Communication Guide to dictate the format for all your visual presentations – logo, font, layout, voice, imagery
• Document guidelines for staff so they represent your brand accurately, in line with your Style Guide and Communication Guide across the full range of communications.
• Ensure adherence to the Style Guide and Communication Guide across your business.
• Review your Client list regularly to ensure you are attracting your ideal clients.

Why is this item important?

 Visual consistency of branding and consistency of message reinforces your business identity, allowing your clients to connect more closely with you.  Disparity in marketing material causes doubt about your business – a jarring message starts the brain wondering – what else is different?  What will my experience be?  Is this the right business for me?        

How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Do you have a Style Guide for your logo, colours and images?
• Do you have a Communication Guide for your voice, tone and communication style?
• Are these incorporated in your website design?
• Is your email format consistent with this?
• Does your Social Media presence use a considered format and approach?
• Does this extend to your building signage?
• Is your advertising consistent with message and visual presentation? 

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Have a detailed Style Guide covering your logo and approved variations, along with colours, design elements, images, fonts and rules for usage
• Have multiple versions of your logo for use in different media, such as for on light background, on dark background, high resolution for Print, low resolution for online usage, specific shapes eg square for Facebook
• Ensure your website uses your design elements correctly, all appealing to your ideal client
• Have a detailed Communication Guide detailing your business voice, tone and communication style, based on your business values and ideal client
• Ensure the copy, images and navigation are consistent with your business message and tone of voice
• Have a format for adding new content to your website on a regular basis, which is consistent and appropriate to your ideal clients
• Set up your email template with consistency across all staff – use an email address including your business domain name; use your selected font; create an appropriate signature and use this consistently across the business
• Ensure brochures and advertising collateral use your Style Guide and Communication Guide principles.
• Create a Social Media policy to guide staff in appropriate posting for your business. Include formatting template and guidelines for each Social Media Platform, including tone and image usage.  Include appropriate replies to comments from the public, including both positive and negative comments and how to handle these. 
• Create a Social Media policy for personal use of Social Media which is linked to your branding – refer to the Human Resources Guidelines for additional assistance on this topic.
• Be clear on your marketing objectives and consistently implement your Brand Identity to attract your ideal clients. Measure effectiveness and adjust accordingly.
• Consider using specialists to assist you at each stage – choose ones who fill in the gaps for you and move you along to the next level in your business.  These include Brand Specialists, Visual Communication Designers, Website Designers and Developers, Marketing Strategists, Digital Marketers, Search Engine Optimisation Specialists, Digital Advertising Specailists, Social Media Specialists and the like.  A Business Coach is a great place to start with an overall view of your business and an order for implementation of changes. 

Why is this item important? 

Your staff are the public face of your business.  Your clients engage with them to gain a solution to their problem.  If they are easily identified and convey a consistent message which reinforces your stated values, this gives your clients peace of mind and confirms your business as a good choice.  If they are off-hand or unidentifiable, this introduces an element of doubt.  Maybe your business was not such a good choice after all.  

Think of walking into an Apple Store – staff have branded TShirts and iPads; they are unobtrusive but many; you are met and sent to the right area for your problem; they serve you.  There is no doubt they are there to help you. 

 Think of a tradie coming to your home – if they are scruffy with dirty tools, maybe you don’t want them in your home regardless of how good an operator they may be.  Someone with a branded uniform, branded vehicle and branded paperwork shows they are from a genuine business and have an element of care.  This flows over to pride in workmanship and quality of the work delivered.  What message are staff delivering in your business?  

How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Look around – what do your staff say about your business?
• Are they easy to spot? Helpful?
• Are they giving a consistent message to your clients which reinforces your brand?
• Do you have a uniform or dress policy in your business?
• Do you have a tone and voice which staff use when dealing with clients?
• Do staff follow these policies?
• If making site visits, does their vehicle match your business values?
• Is it signed in line with your business Style Guide?

 What do I need to do to meet this item?

•  Consider what the appropriate level of dress and uniform is for your customer-facing staff. What will reassure your clients and give them confidence in your business?  If this is a uniform, document your uniform requirements. Include specifics like available choices and rules for wear.
• If there are safety requirements for dress such as safety high-visibility wear, include this within your uniform requirements. Brand these with your logo and tagline.
• Check the ATO rules for compulsory and non-compulsory uniforms, which outline requirements to be eligible for tax benefits. Register your uniform with the correct authority so you and staff can claim tax benefits.
• Document what staff need and how they order this.
• Vehicle signage – make sure this is in line with your Style Guide. Save designs for consistency with subsequent vehicles.

Why is this item important?

 The space you work in reflects your business – all who enter are impacted by what they feel, smell, see and hear.  It needs to align with your values and attract your ideal client.  A therapy space with a calm atmosphere, scented candle and quiet music is conducive to pain relief and relaxation whereas a busy gym with lots of activity and pumping music encourages hard exercise.  What does your business need? 

 How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• You set the tone – look around your business space. How does it feel?  Smell?  Sound? Look?  Does it align with your business values and match your clients’ expectations?
• Is your signage appropriate, both inside and out?
• Can your clients find you easily?
• Does your office/shop/factory align with your website and social media – is it what your clients expect?
• Do your furniture and fittings match? 

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Ensure your business space is fit for purpose and aligns with your values and client expectation.
• Look at appropriate external signage, with your logo and tag line. Make sure the size, position and lighting suits your business space and values, attracting your ideal client.
• Set up appropriate internal spaces to meet the requirements of your business and staff. Consider the spaces you need for your ideal clients and how to fit these appropriately so they are comfortable and you can deliver your service well.
• Match your choice of furniture, wall colours, and other visual elements to your overall aesthetic.
• Install effective heating and cooling to maintain a comfortable working temperature.
• Align all branding with your Style Guide and Communication Guide.

Why is this item important? 

Your Visual Brand is a key factor in connecting with your ideal client.  It is developed around careful consideration of who you are as a business, why you are in business and what you do for whom, including what problems you solve.  

A Style Guide ensures that your Visual Brand is documented in a way that is easy to understand and access. It documents all the key elements, allowing you to maintain consistency across all channels.  This is used by all the Creatives you work with for marketing and advertising purposes – when you make a new document you follow the guidelines; when you join a new platform, you submit an approved logo; when you create a website your web developer follows your Style Guide rules for use of logo, colour and elements.  There is no need to guess – the Style Guide keeps your collateral together and details the rules, maintaining full consistency. 

How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Do you have a Style Guide for your business? Does this include logo variations, colours with RGB, CMYK and/or Pantone Numbers, style elements, fonts and rules for usage?
• Do you have head shots for key staff?
• Do you have an image library of appropriate images that reflect your business? This can be photos of your business, clients, products, activities OR stock images approved for use in your business.
• Do you have website templates you can use for landing pages; information pages; Blog articles; Project Showcase?
• Do you have templates for different social media platforms you use?
• Do you have templates for your quotes, orders, invoices, statements?
• Do you have templates for all customer documents like articles, letters, checklists? 

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Create a Style Guide with clear instructions for usage. Continue adding to it over time and review it every 12 months for currency.
• Include logo variations, colours with RGB, CMYK and/or Pantone Numbers, style elements, fonts and rules for usage.
• Organise professional photography for head shots for key staff.
• Organise professional photography to develop an image library of appropriate images that reflect your business. This can be photos of your business, clients, products OR Purchase stock images approved for use in your business.  NOTE: Don’t use images direct from the internet without permission from the owner.  Image usage is carefully policed online by content owners and you will be prosecuted for illegal usage.  Check out the Stock Image businesses and purchase or licence what you need.  Content creators such as web developers and graphic designers usually have subscriptions which cover usage by their clients, so discuss your options with your creative advisors.
• Create website templates you can use for landing pages; information pages; Blog articles; Project Showcase; Portfolio pages.
• Create templates for the different social media platforms you use, for consistency in Posts.
• Create templates for your quotes, orders, invoices, statements which use your Style Guidelines.
• Create templates for all customer documents like articles, letters and checklists, using your Style Guidelines.
• Ensure consistency with your Communications Guide, for a total on-brand message. 

Why is this item important? 

How you talk to your clients determines how they feel about you and your services or products.  You need to match your voice, tone and communication style to that of your ideal client.  Consider Coca Cola – their advertising appeals to the fun side of people – their voice is all about connection with others, having fun and feeling good; there is no mention of sugary drinks or the risk of obesity and diabetes.  This is a conscious choice – define your message and then use it consistently throughout your conversation and written communications. 

How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Have you defined your voice, tone and communication style?
• Do your clients respond positively to this communication style?
• Is it documented in your Communications Guide, for consistency with staff and ongoing content creation?
• Do your staff use the documented voice, tone and communication style consistently? 

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Define your voice, tone and communication style, based on your ideal client and how you relate to them.
• Document each of these components in your Communications Guide.
• Prepare phone scripts for answering the phone and gathering information.
• Train staff to use the desired tone with clients.
• Share document with your content creators for your website and social media, for consistency of message.
• Use a Content Calendar to guide content creation and manage posting to a variety of platforms. Create different versions of the same piece for each medium, to get the most reach from the one topic.
• Ensure this complements your Visual Style Guide, for a total on-brand message.

Why is this item important? 

Style changes over time.  Look back at websites from 5 years ago – they look dated – and those 10 years old look positively archaic.  This occurs as technology advances, new devices come into use and tastes evolve.  Different screen sizes such as mobile phones changed website viewing habits forever, which in turn changed how websites were designed. 

If you do nothing, your business will age and not in a good way!  An old website which doesn’t size well on mobiles reflects on your business negatively – and potential clients will click off to another site that they can view more easily. 

The way to keep up to date with your Brand Identity is to review your market position at least on a 12 monthly basis.  This allows you to spot changes in client expectations and areas in your business that will benefit from a spruce up.  You can then plan for change – gradual updates over time OR a complete rebrand to meet your market.  

If you aren’t sure, check out the changes to the Coca Cola logo and style elements since 1886 – nothing stays the same forever. 

How can I tell if I meet this item in my business? 

• Do you review your business brand identity at least once per year?
• Are you making regular updates to suit client changes or technology changes?
• Are you asking for feedback from your clients to see the shifts that are occurring? These can then inform ongoing changes. 

What do I need to do to meet this item? 

• Review your business brand identity at least once per year.
• Ask your clients for feedback – make sure you know what they are thinking.
• Review your website analytics, pages and ongoing updates – how effective is it in attracting and engaging your ideal clients; Does it still reflect your business and resonate with your ideal clients; What has shifted – can you make small changes with fresh templates or is a redesign needed to keep current.
• Schedule creation of website redesigns at least every 3 years to meet market and technology changes.
• Review your social media strategy – how effective is it in attracting and engaging your ideal clients; What changes will benefit your business; Do you need new templates for posts; Is it time to update your image library.
• Create your Content Calendar for the coming year, including topics for each Quarter, Month, Week and specific Days relevant to your Industry and Business. This is your guide for content creation and managing posting to a variety of platforms.  Create different versions of the same piece for each medium, to get the most reach from the one topic.
• Update your Style Guide with appropriate changes to suit your current business direction.
• Update your Communications Guide with appropriate changes to suit your current business direction.